The Effects of Acupuncture on Pregnancy Outcomes of Recurrent Implantation Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Objective. To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for patients with recurrent implantation failure (RIF) undergoing in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) and hopefully provide reliable guidance for clinicians and patients. Methods. Through searching domestic and foreign medical journals, the literature of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture for RIF undergoing IVF-ET was collected. RevMan 5.3 software was used for meta-analysis and Cochrane’s risk of bias assessment tool was used to evaluate the quality of the included studies. Results. Seven documents meeting the criteria were finally included. The results showed that the intervention group contributes more in outcomes including clinical pregnancy rate (RR = 1.90, 95% CI (1.51, 2.40), P < 0.05 ), biochemical pregnancy rate (RR = 1.59, 95% CI (1.27, 1.99), P < 0.05 ), embryo implantation rate (RR = 1.89, 95% CI (1.47, 2.45), P < 0.05 ), and endometrial thickness (MD = 1.11, 95% CI (0.59, 1.63), P < 0.05 ) when compared with the control group, and the difference is statistically significant. In terms of the number of embryo transfers and the type of endometrium, the difference between the acupuncture group and the control group was not statistically significant. Conclusion. Acupuncture therapy on patients with RIF can improve the pregnancy outcome of patients. It is a relatively effective treatment with satisfactory safety and suitable for clinical application. However, as the quality of the included studies is not good enough, the conclusion of this meta-analysis should be treated with caution. More double-blind RCTs equipped with high quality and large samples are expected for the improvement of the level of evidence.

Trends in acupuncture for infertility: a scoping review with bibliometric and visual analysis

“…Basic research has showed that acupuncture can affect gonadotropin-releasing hormone secretion and the menstrual cycle, and improve the blood flow of uterus ( 15 ). Previous systematic reviews have shown that acupuncture can decrease the rate of pregnancy loss ( 16 ), and there are also studies that have shown that acupuncture can improve fertility outcomes and mental health in both men and women ( 17 , 18 ). Owing to a series of adverse events, unexplained recurrent implantation failure, or the high cost of ART, more patients tend to choose acupuncture as a conservative treatment ( 17 ).…”

Effects of acupuncture on the pregnancy outcomes of frozen-thawed embryo transfer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Furthermore, our study showed that acupuncture was also significantly beneficial in the endometrial thickness and tripleline pattern during FET, indicating that this therapy could improve endometrium receptivity, thus increasing pregnancy rates. It was predicted that hsa-miR-449a, hsa-miR-3135b, and hsa-miR-345-3p might be associated with the mechanisms that acupuncture contributed to endometrium receptivity to prepare for embryo transfer (34); and reviews also reported that acupuncture had effects on endometrial receptivity and pregnancy outcomes of recurrent implantation failure (35,36).…”

Pregnancy benefit of acupuncture on in vitro fertilization: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…However, the conclusions in inconclusive. Even if many systematic reviews and meta-analyses still revealed both positive effects (8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15) and negative benefits of acupuncture assisting IVF success (16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24). Different searching databases and literature selection criteria may partly contribute to the unconfirmed results.…”